You’re probably sick of hearing about Tadej Pogacar by now.
His 2025 season was, in short, incredible. Better than 2024? Maybe. Is he now
the best of all time? Possibly? Today, though, we’re researching a different
question. One that actually juxtaposes the name ‘Tadej Pogacar.’ That’s because
this article will look at the world champion’s three worst performances of
2025. Three moments that even he, would like to forget.
Trying to identify “bad days” in Tadej Pogacar’s 2025 season
feels almost absurd. He won his fourth Tour de France, three Monuments, a
second consecutive rainbow jersey, and his first European title. There were
almost no cracks, no collapses, just brief flashes of humanity in a year of
supremacy. But even the greatest have moments when gravity tugs back, and for
Pogacar, those moments stood out precisely because they were so rare.
Here are the three races that reminded the world he’s still
mortal, however briefly.
World Time Trial Championships – Passed by Evenepoel in Kigali
In Kigali, Rwanda, the 40.6-kilometer world championship
time trial was supposed to be a duel between two of cycling’s modern titans.
Experts predicted a showdown between Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar, and
many thought Pogacar could finally win the time trial crown. Instead, it became
a demonstration of how merciless Evenepoel can be in his own domain.
At the first checkpoint, the Olympic champion was the best
part of a minute quicker than Pogacar. Then came the big shock: Evenepoel
physically caught and overtook him on the road, a humiliation almost never seen
in Pogacar’s career. Evenepoel stormed to his third straight world TT title,
whilst Pogacar crossed the line fourth, 2 minutes and 37 seconds behind.
For a rider used to defining races on his terms, it was a
bruising reminder that time trials at the highest level are still an art form
that belongs to specialists when not in a grand tour. The Slovenian smiled in
defeat, but you could sense the fire underneath. Few champions hate losing as
much as he does, and he immediately avenged the defeat the following week in
the road race.
Still, outside of mountain time trials in grand tours,
Pogacar has not shown he is ready to win the rainbow jersey on the time trial
bike just yet.
Tour de France Stage 11
Crashes don’t care about palmarès. On Stage 11 of the 2025
Tour de France, the yellow jersey briefly touched chaos. With roughly four
kilometers remaining, Pogacar went down on a fast descent after being crossed
by another rider, tangled in a pack as riders jostled for position.
For a few seconds, the cycling world held its breath. The
race leader, the sport’s brightest star, was on the ground. It looked like the
world champion’s head had hit the kerb, could his Tour de France campaign be
over?
Miraculously, Pogacar was back on his bike within moments,
his jersey ripped but his focus intact. The peloton, showing respect, eased its
pace until he rejoined. He would finish the stage unharmed and maintain his
overall lead, but he has been genuinely close to a race ending crash, if not
worse.
Paris-Roubaix debut crash
Roubaix was supposed to be the great experiment, could the
sport’s most versatile champion conquer cycling’s roughest classic? Pogacar’s
debut at Paris–Roubaix was eagerly anticipated, and for much of the day, he
looked every bit the equal of Mathieu van der Poel.
On the cobbles, the rainbow jersey was luminous, floating
through the dust, picking lines like he’d ridden the race for years. Then, with
around 30 kilometres remaining, as he and Van der Poel traded blows over a
muddy section of cobbles, it all went wrong. His rear wheel slipped, his bike
fishtailed, and Pogacar crashed to the ground on a corner.
He remounted quickly, and for a little while the gap wasn’t
growing to the defending champion, but the damage was done. Van der Poel
powered on alone to win, Pogacar, bruised and bloodied, still salvaged second,
a remarkable result given the chaos and given the fact it was his first time in
Roubaix.
But for a man who had spoken of Roubaix as a “personal
challenge,” it felt like unfinished business. No doubt, Pogacar will be back
for another taste of the Paris-Roubaix cobbles soon.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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